Macau records wettest July since 1952

[Photo: Ricaela Diputado]

Macau recorded its wettest July since records began in 1952, with total rainfall reaching 962 millimeters, the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) said Tuesday.

The rainfall total was 2.3 times higher than the climatological average, making it the highest recorded for the month of July since monitoring began, according to the weather authority.

The SMG attributed the unusually high rainfall to the influence of a depression, active southwesterly winds and a tropical cyclone.

July also saw several other weather records. The average monthly temperature was 27.5 degrees Celcius matching the lowest July average temperatures previously recorded in 1955, 2001 and 2013 and becoming the lowest on record for the month.

The average relative humidity reached 89%, matching the highest July levels recorded in 1959 and 1997.

Due to the relatively high number of rainy days, the average monthly minimum temperature was 25 degrees, while the monthly minimum temperature of 21.9 degrees and total sunshine duration of 116.1 hours also set new record lows for July.

The SMG said the current weather pattern is expected to continue developing and gradually intensify from summer into autumn.

The bureau added that there is a possibility that the situation could develop into a strong to super strong El Niño event, with the peak of the current El Niño phenomenon likely to occur toward the end of the year.

The SMG has been monitoring the development of the climate pattern and said it will continue to provide updates on its impact on local weather conditions.